Born Ready
by NovocaineHeart
Summary: (Human AU - Rated T) With Racing becoming bigger than ever, drivers are becoming celebrities and their cars national icons. A young racer sets out to prove his metal in the fast paced world. With new friends, family and 'bumps' in the road, he'll show them all why he's the best, and that number #95, will never die. Racing wasn't just something he could do, he was born from it...
1. Legend Born

**Hello! I'm sure your probably wondering whats going on with this and why I haven't updated in ages, cause life, you know.**

 **But I've been thinking about this story a lot, mainly new ideas for it that sound better and fit better, so chapter one and two have changed and I'm editing chapter 3, but it will be up soon!**

 **Again, this is an Australian writing in an American context so please be considerate!**

* * *

 **North Birmingham, Alabama 1983, mid-July**

It was amazing how quickly something could break your dream.

One stupid mistake.

No matter how small it could be, it would have some effect on the one thing you had wanted and trained for your whole life… except this something was not so small.

" _This year's piston cup was set to be like no other with the only female driver to have qualified to race this year, qualifying to race for the Piston Cup. Twenty year old Valery Valiant, driving her red Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS under number ninety-five as one of this year's rookie racers set to challenge Strip Weathers in his second year of racing to win his first Piston Cup._ " The enthusiastic racing reporter enounced over the television, yet to break the truth that the racing world had not been expecting to hear. " _But in a shock announcement early this morning from the young racer, Valery has withdrawn her position in the race and will not be competing. Richey, your thoughts on the situation?_ "

" _The racing world… is in shock, there's no other way to describe it._ " The other presenter spread his arms on the table to emphasize the situation. " _Valery was the only female racer to compete this year and there haven't been any female racers for a couple of years now. And being one of the few female racers that have qualified to race for the Piston Cup is incredible. And we all believed she would win the Cup this year, making her the first rookie to ever win it and the first female racer too. But now, she has forfeited the race, and we haven't got a cause for her resignation either. We've had our reporters try to reach out to her but have been unable to find her as it does seem she has gone into hiding after the announcement._ "

" _It's a very interesting situation Richey. Usually the only reason racers retire is because of health or age, but this is a complete mystery. We can only hope that the down to earth, fan favourite will give a proper explanation to this very early retirement._ " As the presenter spoke those final words, a clip of a young woman of a slightly short height with long dark brown-reddish hair, bright blue eyes and an active figure was played. She faced a crowd of fans and reporters with a gold trophy in hand and a bright happy smile on her face. Standing on a platform with her famous red racing Chevrolet with the number '95' parked at her side, she waved, shook hands and signed autographs with her fans who supported her through her short, incredible and fulfilling racing career.

But it was not the same young woman who sat in front of the television screen with her mother and father on either side of her.

"There goes Valery Valiant…" She sighed.

"It was just your racing name Jane."

"But it was still important to me dad."

"And no one is going to forget it." Her mother squeezed her hand in support. "You're Jane Valiant, and you'll always be Valery Valiant at heart."

Jane managed a weak smile.

"Now-" Her mother started softly, looking down. "-we have other matters to worry about."

Jane looked down to where she had absentmindedly placed her hand. Three months had gone by so fast yet it felt like it had been longer.

"Any names yet?"

"I don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet dad."

"Never too late to start thinking about it."

"Yeah but most people pick a name, get so over run with emotion from birth then completely forget what they were going to call the baby and end up calling it something like, _Montgomery_."

Jane didn't know how to feel about the unplanned pregnancy and all the feelings on being a single mother. But the unease was making her sick and she felt like she'd let her parents and the racing world down with her stupid, foolish mistake. But it was too late now.

"I'm feeling pretty tired, I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight sweetie."

"Night Jane."

She didn't go to bed straight away. She stood in front of a floor length mirror in her bra and underwear, looking at the steadily growing bump that had just ruined her racing career. Her parents were trying to be supportive about it, but even they couldn't completely hide the hint of disappointment in their eyes. She couldn't return to racing after this, she didn't want to think what the racing world would think of her, the racing world's disappointment. Her stupid mistake had cost her her racing career, and the man she'd believed would spend the rest of his life with her. But as soon as he found out she was pregnant, he left. All she had left were the photos of their memories, small gifts and a name. The memory of a blond haired man who she met in high school and shared her first kiss with…

* * *

 **January 15** **th** **1984, 8:26pm**

The nurses and doctor didn't know who Valery Valiant was and didn't recognise, much to her relief. Valery Valiant had been missing in action for six months, and she would never be seen again.

A quiet knock on the door caused Jane to look up from her trance. A midwife was standing their asking to come in with a tray of food and supplies for the small baby Jane was cradling against her chest. She was alone in the room with the midwife and her new son, her parents having left to get food from the canteen.

The woman arranged the food on a bed side tray before giving the baby a light scratch on his soft pink cheek. "And how are we both tonight?"

"Tired." Jane replied with a small chuckle. "Although he seems more tired than me, and I did all the work." She shared a laugh with the midwife.

"Very true." The woman spoke. "I do need to ask though, have you decided on a name yet? The doctor needs to complete the birth certificate. Although from what your parents told me, the father does not wish to be involved with your son."

"Yeah, he, left… when I told him I was pregnant."

"A typical deadbeat. It's one of the worst things a man can do to his partner. But I'm afraid your son will have to have his last name, per law."

"Well, at least his last name wasn't horrible."

After sharing another small laugh, the midwife proceeded to leave with Jane having not yet decided on a name. She looked down to the bundle that was pressing against her chest. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she had considered putting him up for adoption. She could forget this had ever happened, move on with her life and pick up where her racing left off. But that was until she held her son in her arms for the first time.

How could she do that? His father abandoned him and she would just give him away. She couldn't do that to him. She had her parents to help her, she would do her best.

There was a storm brewing outside.

 _Ka-CRACK!_

A massive bolt of lightning flooded the room with more light. Jane jumped from the fright of it, but quickly realised she could have hurt the newborn and immediately checked him, but he had not even flinched. Another bolt broke the silence of the room, yet her son remained unfazed, looking up to her with scrunched up bright blue eyes bursting with wonder at everything around them. He was as strong and bright as the lightning that shook the room.

"Lightning… doesn't even faze you does it?" Jane spoke softly.

She realized this was the moment she would name her son, a name she joked about, but in reality, really did like…

* * *

 **5 Years Later…**

"Monty?"

"Monty!?"

Jane closed the doors of the pantry. "Where is that kid now?" She spied her mother in the dining room from the kitchen, sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper her father had been reading before he left.

"Mom, have you seen Monty? We need to leave for school but I can't find him anywhere."

"Your father went out to the garage for something, he might have followed him."

"Typical, he was playing with cars before he could talk." Jane crossed her arms and slowly shook her head.

"As I recall, you were just as bad. I would have to get you out of there before school most mornings." Her mother said smugly with a sip of her coffee.

"Thanks mom."

"Grandpa, when can I drive a car?"

"When you're a bit older kiddo."

"Like… next year?"

"Ha, a bit older than that son. You have to wait till you're sixteen."

"But that's like, in forever!" Monty whined, throwing his arms in the air for extra emphasis, his grandfather laughing at him. Giving up, Monty started walking around the shed while his grandfather put pieces of car engines away.

They lived in a large modern house in a residential area in North Birmingham. The large backyard left room for a shed to be built, storing engine parts and the old Monte Carlo. Wilfred Valiant, Jane's father, was a car engine designer for Chevrolet and worked closely within the company. He would travel to Detroit in Michigan and live there for eight months a year while working at the Chevrolet headquarters, traveling back to Alabama when he wasn't needed and he could easily work at home.

When Jane became interested with racing, he proposed the idea of her racing for the company as they hadn't had a Piston racing team for a few years now. The company promptly agreed and was instantly back in the racing scene with a new _female_ racer, Valery Valiant. With them as her sponsor she was set to race and fulfil her one dream. Until she found out she was pregnant.

When he told the company that Jane couldn't race for them anymore, they weren't impressed. They'd let him keep the job, but he'd lost his high position in the company. Tried as he might, he could never get back the position he once had. He was told that unless he could make an engine like no other, a design like no other, to stop trying. But their family had always lived with one motto, to never give up, and he never would.

He looked over to his grandson, watching his lips mouth the names of engine parts and tools he walked past, always stopping at the car with the cover protecting it.

Monty picked up the corner of the cover, flipping it over half the hood of the car. Half of the fender was framed by sponsor stickers, bright red and white paint shined in the overhead lights with the name _Valery Valiant_ running down the hood in sparkling cursive yellow. He didn't know who she was, but he loved her car.

"Monty, what are you doing in here?" Monty turned with a sheepish expression as his mother walked briskly toward him. "I don't want to be late, we need to leave now."

"Jane I was just about to bring him inside."

"Dad Last time you said that, we were an hour late for a dinner party. Come on baby, time to go."

"Wait mom!" He tugged on her hand as she try tried to pull him with her, then pointed at the car he uncovered. "Who's she? Is she your sister? She has your last name."

Jane looked up to her father watching her with curiosity. She would tell him one day. "She's someone I use to know. Now, come on, let's go."

* * *

"Mom?"

Jane looked to her son, he was watching parents bringing their kids into the school gate from the passenger side of the car. Kids holding hands with their moms on one side and dads on the other…

"Where's my dad?"

Jane rubbed his back while she watched the parents with him.

"I don't know baby."

"Didn't he like us? Didn't… he like me?"

She looked down, tears threatening her eyes. "I'm sorry baby, I really don't know."

* * *

"Alright class, where going to go around the circle and introduce ourselves to everyone. Tell us your name and your favourite thing in the world!"

As names and favourite things went around the circle, it finally came to her son. Jane watched from the back of the classroom with other parents looking on, her son catching her eye as he stood up to introduce himself. Little hands intertwined with nerves.

"Ah, my most favourite thing in the world are cars… oh and my name is Montgomery McQueen."


	2. Street Racer

While the other graduates headed off to college, he started working as an apprentice mechanic at World Class Auto Repair. When all the guys were getting girlfriends, he met someone different every couple of weeks. While people were working hard to make ends meet, he was dreaming of what he wanted to do and wanted to be. When he wasn't doing that, he drew, he wasn't an artist, but he could draw cars.

Monty looked up from his sketchpad marked from his latest design. The posters on the walls and model cars gave him little ideas for the car he was drawing. Soft country music played in the background from a CD, only to be broken by the wrap of knuckles on the door frame to his room.

"Hey pop." Monty watched his grandfather walk slowly into his large room, eyeing everything in it.

"When was the last time you cleaned your room?"

"What are you talking about? I cleaned it yesterday." He spoke with a grin.

"Yeah, really looks like it." Wilfred said flatly. "Almost twenty-two years old and you still can't clean your damn room properly, and still living here."

"Hey," Monty grinned more. "I have everything I need right here, why leave? At least I actually work."

His grandfather ran a hand through his greying hair, an argument they'd had plenty of times yet it remained unresolved. "So are you coming to the new year's eve party or not?"

"Think I'll skip it this year." Lightning sketched in the last part of a rim.

"And why's that?"

"I don't know I just don't, feel like going to it."

"Fine, but you need to go tell your mother, she's in the foyer."

"Yeah." He'd heard what his grandfather said, but was too engrossed in finishing the last sketch of the car, checking measurements and perfecting the final drawings.

"Monty!"

"Alright!" He dropped the book on the bed dramatically and threw his hands in the air, leaving his grandfather alone in his bedroom.

Wilfred made to leave, but turned back to the sketch pad on the bed. He'd never seen a design like it. He'd never seen a car like that. I wasn't a sports car, but it seemed to have similar parts to them. The front was slightly similar to a 1960's Corvette with a black mesh grill, the rear bumper higher than the front like an old Ferrari with curved front fenders and higher curved fenders on the rear, a high duck tail spoiler sat on the back. It was low to the ground but had a high cab and overall was a slightly large car looking at the measurements. Through the shaded windows there was only one seat, no door handles, mirrors or lights. The side of the vehicle had a lightning bolt on it with the number ninety-five over it, the same number as his mothers. Wilfred realized quickly, this wasn't just a fancy car, its design could only be used for one thing. The word 'BOLT' was written at the top… this was a stock car, it was a race car.

Monty jogged down the stairs to see his mother touching up her makeup in a mirror, wearing her favourite red party dress that covered her shoulders and ended above her knees. She may have been forty-two, but she looked younger, no grey hairs on her head and the only wrinkles around her eyes.

"You look great mom."

She turned to look at him, light red lips smiling. "I'm surprised you haven't given me grey hairs already, you could be a little shit sometimes." He couldn't help but laugh, it was so true. She turned back to the mirror, but quickly turned back to him with a frown. "What are you wearing? We have to leave soon."

"Yeah, sorry mom, but I'm not gonna come tonight." Lightning said with a sheepish smile.

"Why?"

"I just don't really feel like going."

Jane cockered her hip, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her troubled son. "Since when have you not come to a new year's eve's party?"

"Ahg, mom, I said I just don't feel like it, that's all."

"Fine." Jane grabbed her bag as her parents came down the stairs. She was about to close the door as they left but hesitated, opening it back up to see her son about to walk back up stairs.

"Monty?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Like I ever would." He grinned, giving her a wink.

She worried about him. He had people he called his _friends_ , but he never invited them over or vice versa. He'd meet girls but would never see them again. And even though he loved working at the mechanics, he never seemed content. She had a hunch as to what it was, but didn't pursue it because of her own fears. She closed the door solemnly.

* * *

Monty bolted to his room to watch them leave from his window.

"Come on, come on, come on…"As soon as the headlights turned onto the road, He grinned.

He raced around his room grabbing his wallet and flip phone before running back down the stairs and out to the shed. He threw the cover off the Corvette which had since had its sponsor stickers removed and had been repainted in its original bright red and white, its number hidden. Rummaging for the key hidden under the mat, he strapped himself into the seat and turned the ignition. He tore out of the shed and down the road, speeding past the other drivers. They'd been waiting to have this race for ages.

When he arrived at the long stretch of road, everyone was already there. Cars of all kinds lined the road, sports, trucks, even some minivans. What better way to spend the last moments of 2005 than with a bit of street racing? He drove past the other racers, giving each other dirty looks and threatening to scratch freshly painted cars. The trays of the trucks had people in them drinking and singing away to the blaring music. Girls flirted with guys for free drinks and guys were showing off their cars for their attention.

He stopped at his designated spot on the repainted starting line, turning of the car.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Monty swung his head back to see one of his least favourite racers, an asshole he'd butted heads with in high school, grinning at him after hitting the car's roof. Jay Lee was the only real competition he had when he started street racing. He'd thoroughly pissed the slightly Asian racer off from beating him in almost all the races he had done this year, and it was showing. Lee leaned over the Corvette's driver's window with a cigarette hanging in his mouth.

"Here you are again, _Montgomery_ McQueen, still driving this old piece of crap. You really should get an upgrade."

"Yeah but noth'in beats the classics Jay."

"Mustangs do. Just look at mine." Lee gestured to the black Mustang, his gang guarding it.

"Yeah and who's been winning all the racers lately? And _doesn't_ have a Mustang?"

Jay laughed, blowing a plume of smoke at Monty, causing him to cough. "You still chasing those dreams McQueen? Still drawing those fancy cars I use to tear up in your face? Come on, you think you'll get into racing in Piston when you work as a mechanic and drive that shit little hatchback?"

Monty shook his head with a smile. "Ah, Jay, you really don't know anything do you. You think The King went straight into racing because he was rich or from being related to Dinoco somehow?" Monty leaned towards the window. "He was a street racer. Now hurry up and get _your_ piece of shit to the line so we can settle this. _Now_."

Jay glared at him, flicking the cigarette butt at the Corvette. Just for that, he was going to make him taste every grain of his dust. The all-too familiar sound of a Mustang made him glare at the driver on his left, Jay glared back. The clack of high heels on the ashfelt made them both look up to see daisy dukes walk past the windows.

The girl who always started the races stood in front of the cars with a green flag in her hand. She looked at both racers, Monty giving her a wink which she returned with a smile. The crowd of spectators surrounded the cars and cheered them on.

"All right boys, you know the rules. No foul play or you get a beating at the end of this. Let's race!"

Both drivers revved their engines, glaring at each other from the corners of their eyes. Time slowed as the flag dropped and they tore past the girl as she turned grinning, Jay taking the lead. Jay was a meter in front of his door. The race was a simple long stretch of road with a round-a-bout at the end and a straight drive back. No drivers were around because of New Year's Eve and the drive wasn't far because of their speed. Monty could easily see Jay was relying on his speed more than any skill. He was swerving close and away from the Corvette's door, trying to move him over, but the turn was quickly approaching.

The best way to get around the bend was to drift, and only one car could drift around it without hitting the curb or another car. Monty had been holding out on doing it and waiting for this night in particular to show off. As the round-a-bout approached, he sped up faster than the speed they should be traveling, passing Jay. Lightly touching the brakes, he turned the wheel forcing the end of the car to turn. Jay slammed his brakes to avoid the end of the car and yelled curses when McQueen swung around to drift in a perfect arc around the round-a-bout without any room for him to drive past. He straightened out and slammed his foot on the accelerator with the extra momentum from the drift behind him, winning the race with Jay six meters behind him and colourful language flowing.

"He can't fucking do that!"

"Oi!" The starting girl went up to him, shoving him in the chest. "Yes he can! It's not foul play, its being smart. Now stop complaining before you get your head bashed in." Two buff guys were standing behind her.

"How did I end up with you as my sister." Jay glared at her.

"Luck of the draw, now beat it."

Monty smirked at Jay. He loved it when he got a beating from his little sister. He checked the time on his phone, _almost midnight_ , and leant back against the Corvette as people came by to congratulate him on the win. What he wouldn't give to share the secrets of the Corvette. To show them all that they couldn't beat him when he was driving a real race car.

"Hey McQueen!"

He looked up to see the starter girl walking towards him, a sway in her hips.

"Hey Lily. Pissing off your brother again?"

"I've pissed him since the moment I was born." She walked up the side of the Corvette and slid a finger over the red paint, giving him a seductive look the whole time.

"Almost midnight." She beat her mascara laden eyelashes at him. "We should go for a drive…"

"Oh tempting, how about a new year's kiss?"

"Then a drive?"

"Sure." He could feel Jay's eyes burning into the back of his head. So he lent in to her as she tilted her head up to him.

"RUN!"

"SOMEONE CALLED THE POPO!"

Heads flew up instantly and people scrambled to their cars as flashing lights donned the hill next to the road.

"Gotta go!"

"See ya!" Lily ran to her brother's car before he took off without her.

Putting his pedal to the metal Monty tore down the road as police cars blocked the other end of the road. He sped past the others escaping in their cars and they were forced to eat the race car's dust. He thought he was safe until a police car caught him at a turn. He just managed to avoid hitting the car as it pursued him down the road. He'd never been caught by them yet, and he wasn't about to now. The Corvette didn't have number plates so they wouldn't be able to find its registration. But how many people were driving around a Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS from the 1980's? He had to lose the cop. The only way to was to speed, which he didn't want to do with people on the streets. But he had no choice as he pushed the accelerator and flew away from the stunned cop. He drifted around a corner and hid in an old warehouse. The lights of the police car flashed through the holes in the wall as he watched quietly.

He waited for an hour until he was sure the cop had given up. And then his phone vibrated in his pocket with a message.

 _Mom: Will be home soon, sorry if we wake you._

If he didn't get the Corvette in the shed before they got back, he knew his mother would gladly hand his ass to the police when she saw him. He risked texting her to see where she was.

 _Mom: About 10min away._

They were following the speed limit, he wasn't, he could get home in eight.

He booked it out of the warehouse and down the roads through several red lights and near misses. Pulling into the driveway he parked in the Corvette's designated spot just as more headlights pulled up to the driveway. Pulling the roller door down faster than it could go to try closing it quicker, he ran out through the back door as headlights reached the house. He tripped on the curve of the steps as he ran to his room and jumped into his bed completely covering himself with the covers, trying to get his breathing under control.

It was a few minutes before he heard footsteps outside his room and the quiet sound of his door being opened. He may have been almost twenty-two, but she would check on him occasionally. The door closed softly. Monty tossed the bed sheets and got changed into his sweatpants he always slept in, laying down on the bed gently.

Street racing would be the closest thing to real racing he'd ever get with his currant lifestyle and if his mother had anything to say about it, and she didn't even know he was doing it. Monty ran a hand through his sweaty blond hair.

"Happy new year mom..."

* * *

Despite the late night, Jane woke up early to get her morning coffee. She wasn't one to sit down in the mornings, so went for a walk around the house and into the car shed. Just like her son she would spend hours in there just playing with the tools and motor parts. She stopped when she saw the cover of her Corvette lying haphazardly on the floor.

It didn't surprise her. She'd often find it there after her son had been tuning the car and had left it running to keep the engine from seizing up from not being used. She placed her hand on the hood. She had it repainted to red before co-workers of her fathers had asked to see it when they had visited for work. She couldn't let anyone see it in case they recognized it and told the media they had found the car and her. The racing world forever wanted to know why she had quit racing so early and where she had gone. She wanted to stay out of it forever, just being a mystery racing legend that disappeared like the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, even if she wasn't as famous as him.

Lifting her hand off the hood, she wouldn't have noticed the light bit of dust she had wiped away if it wasn't for the light directly overhead. She ran her hand over the hood again, leaving another smear through the light cover of dust. The car shouldn't have had dust on it if it had been undercover for just over twenty years.

She put her mug on the table next to it.

She looked in the driver's side to see the key in the ignition, which didn't surprise her. Until she saw the odometer. She remembered exactly how many miles it had traveled, and the odometer read well over that amount.

She was going to kill her son.

* * *

He was tired, but he smiled and laughed softly when he thought of last night's antics. He'd give the Corvette a clean later, but right now he needed coffee. Monty headed down stairs after putting a shirt on and said good morning to his mother who he was surprised to see up from the late night.

"Good morning." Her voice held almost no emotion, but he wasn't going to say anything about it.

"Did you have a good night? Meet anyone?" He asked.

"No. How about you?"

"Just a quiet night like I said. Did some more drawing and finished that book I was reading."

"So you didn't take my Corvette out street racing?"

 _What!?_ His thoughts were running wild and he made the mistake of looking over his shoulder to his mother. She was fuming. Her eyebrows were low and her eyes unblinking has she stared him down. _How could she know!? I got back befo-wait… I didn't put the cover on the car. Shit._

He opened his mouth but her raised hand silenced him quickly.

"I know you're not under eighteen so I have control over you. But do you _know_ how much _trouble_ you are _in_?"

This wasn't going to end well…

"The Corvette is a _race car_. It can't be driven on the road, it isn't registered. After I saw the car, I saw the news. People were busted for street racing last night and one of the cars reported being there was a _red Corvette, my Corvette!_ "

Lightning didn't know what to say.

"The police were and _are_ after you!"

His mouth was slightly agape, but his brows began to furrow when he realized what she was talking about, what she really meant.

"You're more afraid of people finding out that its _Valery Valliant's_ car than what happens to me!"

"Monty I never said that!-"

"But it's what you meant!" He through his arms out at her. "This isn't even about me, it's about you! All I want to do is RACE! I've been racing illegally because you won't let me race legally! You're more concerned that someone will find out who you are because of me, that they'll look down at you because you got pregnant with me at twenty and couldn't race! That's _it_." He grabbed his coffee before leaving to go back to his room.

"Your right."

He stopped and looked at his mother.

"I am afraid of what people will think Monty… Because I don't know what there're going to think."

"And who says they'll think bad things?" He put his coffee and muffin on the counter she was sitting at.

She sighed, looking down at her hands around her own mug.

"I never wanted to be a single mom. I thought I'd lost everything when your father left me… until I held you." She smiled softly when he hugged her, burying herself in his arms.

* * *

"Dad, we need to talk."

"So do I Jane." Wilfred walked to her from his desk in his study.

"I'm going to-"

She was cut off when he handed her a piece of photocopied paper.

"What is this?" She took the paper from him.

"A dream that's about to come true."


End file.
